Solo to miss Algarve Cup; may need wrist surgery

CHICAGO -- U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo will miss next month's Algarve Cup because of a wrist injury, and 18-year-old forward Lindsey Horan could make her national team debut at the prestigious women's tournament in Portugal.

Solo, who helped the Americans win gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, has been playing with damaged ligaments in her right wrist, and the U.S. Soccer Federation said Thursday she may need surgery. The USSF said the team's medical staff advised Solo to have the wrist treated now because qualifying for the 2015 World Cup will not take place until late next year.

Nicole Barnhart, Ashlyn Harris and Jill Loyden are the three goalkeepers on the 23-woman roster.

Horan last year became the first American woman to bypass college soccer and sign with a foreign professional club. Raised in Golden, Colo., she played for the W-League's Colorado Rush last season and signed with Paris Saint-Germain in France. While Horan led the U.S. under-20 team in scoring last year, she missed the FIFA Under-20 World Cup because of a knee injury.

Solo was among seven players dropped from among the 29 who trained leading up to a pair of exhibitions against Scotland this month, joined by goalkeeper Jane Campbell; defenders Julie Johnston and Heather Mitts; midfielders Lori Lindsey and Keelin Winters; and forward Amy Rodriguez.

Coming off its third straight Olympic gold medal, the U.S. plays Iceland (March 6), China (March 8) and Sweden (March 11) at the annual Algarve Cup in Portugal, where the Americans will be seeking their ninth title in 18 appearances. The tournament will be televised in the U.S. for the first time, with matches available at a suggested retail price of $14.95 each on pay-per-view on iN Demand, Avail-TVN, DIRECTV and DISH.

The USSF announced an exhibition against the Netherlands at the Hague on April 9, four days after the Americans face Germany at Offenbach. The U.S. and Dutch women's teams have not played since a 2-0 U.S. win in 2006 at South Korea. They have not met in the Netherlands since a 4-3 American loss in 1991.